Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from Avdiyivka. A poll finds 85 per cent of Ukrainians believe that Ukraine will repel Russia’s assault.
Ukraine withdraws from Avdiyivka
Ukrainian troops withdrew from Avdiyivka, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi announced early on Saturday, February 17. The decision follows four months of heavy fighting and constant Russian airstrikes and shelling. Syrskyi said in a Facebook post that he ordered the withdrawal “to avoid encirclement and preserve the lives and health of servicemen.”
Ukraine’s commander of the Tavria operational strategic group, Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, said some Ukrainian soldiers were captured during the withdrawal, but he did not specify how many.
Spokesperson for Ukraine’s defense forces in the Tavria direction, Dmytro Lykhoviy said the success of the withdrawal should be considered according to the circumstances.
Ukrainian ground forces are in perhaps their most precarious position since the opening months of the war, a New York Times article reads.
Russia’s assault has split into five major lines of attack, spanning towns and cities across much of the front in eastern and southern Ukraine. According to The New York Times, Russian forces conduct offensive operations in the Avdiyivka, Maryinka, and Bakhmut directions, and near Robotyne and Kreminna.
Russian forces are establishing control of Avdiyivka and will likely redeploy some units to other parts of the frontline, spokesperson for Ukraine’s defense forces in the Tavria direction, Dmytro Lykhoviy said in televised comments.
“[Russian forces] try to advance in other directions, and in the Avdiyivka direction, they have decreased the number of attacks. [Russia] has also decreased the intensity of artillery and air strikes,” Lykhoviy said.
“In the past day, [Russia launched] 26 airstrikes across the entire Tavria operational strategic group. That’s a lot of attacks, but the number marks a drop from previous days. [Ukrainian troops] recorded 803 attacks, a twofold decrease from the most intense phase of the Avdiyivka defensive operation,” he said.
“The Russians are establishing control of Avdiyivka. They will likely redeploy some units to other parts of the frontline. Too little time has passed for them to be able to do that,” the spokesperson added.
Poll finds 85 per cent of Ukrainians believe that Ukraine will repel Russia’s assault
Eighty-five per cent of Ukrainians say they believe that Ukraine will repel Russia’s assault, a survey conducted by the sociological group Rating on February 10 and 11 found. Fifteen per cent are not confident about Ukraine’s ability to win against Russia.
Foreign aid is seen as crucial for a Ukrainian victory. Only 19 per cent say Russia’s defeat is possible without international help. Most of Ukrainians (79 per cent) doubt that Ukraine can win without international support.
Shares of Ukrainians experiencing sadness and fear while thinking of themselves has risen when compared with August 2022. At the same time, the share of Ukrainians experiencing pride has fallen.
While thinking of themselves, 56 per cent of Ukrainians say they experience pride, a decrease from 75 per cent in August 2022.
The share of Ukrainians experiencing sadness grew from 29 per cent in August 2022 to 39 per cent in February 2024. The share experiencing fear went up from 11 per cent in 2022 to 21 per cent now.
Those who say Ukraine will prevail are more likely to experience pride (64 per cent compared to 21 per cent), and joy (12 per cent compared to two per cent).
Those who doubt Ukraine’s ability to win against Russia are more likely to experience sadness (56 per cent compared to 36 per cent), fear (25 per cent compared to 21 per cent), anger (18 per cent compared to seven per cent), and shame (19 per cent compared to five per cent).
Russia targets Ukrainian IT sphere, banking and communications. Ukraine in Flames #574
In the first weeks after the full-scale invasion Ukraine managed to maintain the stable operation of communications, banks and energy. This stability during the war was taken for granted, and concerns about infrastructure did not return until late 2022, associated with massive shelling of energy facilities. Kyivstar, the largest telecommunications operator and one of the largest taxpayers in the country, became the first victim of a new large-scale hacker attack. Watch Ukraine in flames #574 to find out about the aftermath of the significant Kyivstar hack and the unprecedented cyber challenges confronting Ukraine and Europe.
Guests:
- Serhiy Haiduk, CEO of SPECVUZAVTOMATIKA company
- Pavlo Skladannyi, Head of the Department of Information and Cyber Security at Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University
